bombs in london?

[spiders]

Some bombs or something went off in london -

[Legba]

french retalition 4 not getting the olympics.

(unconfirmed)

[apothecary]

'Some fatalities' as blasts hit London

A number of people have been killed in a series of explosions on London's transport system during this morning's rush hour, causing chaos in the British capital, police and transport officials said.

Several blasts hit the Underground network and police said there had been at least three explosions on buses in the city.

A source at the Metronet consortium that runs part of the capital's Underground network said "there were three explosions and there have been some fatalities".

Home Secretary Charles Clarke said the blasts had caused "terrible injuries" although he did not give specific figures.

"I want to express sympathy on behalf of the whole government to the families and friends of those who have been injured," Mr Clarke told reporters outside Prime Minister Tony Blair's Downing Street residence.

"The health services are in support to deal with the terrible injuries that there have been."

The causes of the incidents, a day after London was awarded the 2012 Olympics and as leaders of the Group of Eight rich nations met in Scotland, were unknown but police said many of the city's Underground stations were affected.

"It is too too early to state what has happened," a London police spokesman said.

"I cannot comment on reports of bombs, but we have had multi-reports of explosions around London."

Underground

People were seen streaming out of one Underground station covered in blood and soot.

Passengers were evacuated from stations across the capital, many in shock and with their clothes ripped to shreds, witnesses said.

The entire system was shut down and major thoroughfares were blocked off by police and ambulance services.

Bus blast

One bus was blown up in Tavistock Square in central London, a policeman told Reuters.

"There have been some casualties and this has been declared as a major incident," a spokeswoman for London's Metropolitan Police said.

Virginia Crompton was close to the explosion on a double decker bus in Tavistock Square.

"I decided given the scale of the chaos, it was best to walk to work and head towards town, I've just gone through Russel Square and turned onto Gordon Square where I heard a huge explosion very close by," she said.

"I turned into Gordon Square Gardens which is where I am now and two men run past me who had witnessed what they said was a bus being blown up, they described the roof coming out and I said, 'do you think anyone was hurt' and they said 'yes, definitely'."

Aldgate East station

Emergency services rushed to the Aldgate East underground station where police reported the first incident at 8:59am local time.

"There were people streaming out of Aldgate station covered in blood," 27-year-old Kate Heywood said, on her way to work.

"There are shards of glass there, it is chaos," she said.

A Reuters correspondent at Oxford Circus station, at the heart of the underground system, heard an announcement over the public-address system saying: "A power outage has occurred London-wide. All train services are suspended."

A station official said: "All the power has gone down. I don't know when it'll come back."

Steve Spence was travelling on one of the trains.

"I was on an outer circle train - going from Paddington from Edgware Road ... there was a big flash, a loud bang and lots of smoke, and there was a train on the other track - it had stopped as well, lots of screaming," he said.

"When we evacuated the train the front of my train was smashed up and there was lots of debris from the other train on the track."

Police cordon

Police sealed off large areas around other underground and mainline rail stations.

Firemen donned chemical protection suits before rushing into stations.

Half a dozen people dishevelled and with soot-blackened faces sat on the floor at Russell Square Underground station or stood in shock as police cordoned off the area and ambulances crews raced in, one witness said.

The Great Eastern Hotel, which was hosting a conference on the Israeli economy, was evacuated. Israeli Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to attend the conference but had not arrived.

- Reuters

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/20050...07/s1409500.htm

[apothecary]

First hand accounts:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/4659237.stm

[Torsten]

This is bad. It will detract from the issues at the G8 and will make Bush a stronger force there.

[Endrogen]

It will be interesting to see where this is heading. What agendas' will be forged at G8, what will be accomplished in the next few years.. if anything.

Terrorists?? will anyone admit to the bombings and as you would expect, voice there cause?? Or is it just generic ch9 terrorism.

[Leo^]

Its happened at the worst time possible too. If it was staged (not that Im saying it was) to give support for the war on terror and leave this G8 issue behind then its working already.

[bloodbob]

Bacchant:

french retalition 4 not getting the olympics.

(unconfirmed)

You forget there was a new york bid don't you not only was there a new york bid there was the disagreement over enviromental problems at the G8 and who would a terrorist attack further the most?

[apothecary]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/20050...07/s1409548.htm

Al Qaeda has claimed responsibility.

[Endrogen]

man.. the way they are going on about it, it sounds like they got invaded by a country who's imposing there own will on their country at the cost of innocent lives and calling it collateral progress... boo hoo McDonalds closed early and i missed out on my McBreakfast

"A previously unknown group has claimed responsibility for the attacks in the name of Al Qaeda."

[ 08. July 2005, 13:40: Message edited by: Endrogen ]

[bloodbob]

apothecary:

Al Qaeda has claimed responsibility.

And there not the only one

 

quote:

---

The Al Jihad network in Europe has claimed responsibility for the London bombings in a 200-word statement posted on the Internet.

---

[apothecary]

Al Jihad is an Al Qaeda cell, at least, thats the way I read the article.

Screenshot:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Al_Qaed...responsible.jpg

[bloodbob]

apothecary:

Al Jihad is an Al Qaeda cell, at least, thats the way I read the article.

Ehh no there not

http://cns.miis.edu/research/wtc01/aljihad.htm

Here is a caption on a linking page to that statement ( on wikipedia )

 

quote:

---

Screenshot of the website on which an organisation claiming to be linked to Al Qaeda claims responsibility for the terrorist attack.

---

A group linked doesn't make it a part of al qaeda

[ 08. July 2005, 13:53: Message edited by: bloodbob ]

[apothecary]

 

quote:

---

In the statement, the Organisation of Al Qaeda Jihad in Europe claimed responsibility and threatened further attacks in Italy, Denmark and other countries with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

---

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/20050...07/s1409548.htm

EDIT: Though that name sounds stupid, "The Jihad Base"...

[ 08. July 2005, 14:07: Message edited by: apothecary ]

[bloodbob]

Seriously the media can't even make up their mind on the name and its also funny there is a book titled "Al-Qaida's Jihad in Europe : The Afghan-Bosnian Network" no one would seriously called themself "Al-Qaida's Jihad" let alone "Al-Qaida's Jihad in Europe" which is what some reports say it is. Its like a politcal party called "John Howard's War in Western Australia" it simply doesn't make sense. Oh heres another version "The Secret Organisation of al-Qaida in Europe" BBC was reporting it was "Al Jihad" on the radio earlier.

[ 08. July 2005, 14:19: Message edited by: bloodbob ]

[bloodbob]

OOOOH I found the terrorist website ( forum registration is closed ).

http://www.qal3ah.org/vb/index.php

[Torsten]

bloodbob - do you speak/read arabic? (if that's what it is on that site....)

[-YT-]

Feel free to flame me But i'm questioning the motives of this Bomb attack, Amazing how the media have jumped on it using it to spread fear and more hatred towards arabic people and muslims, and to distract us from the important issues at hand such as G8, hmmmm this smells of the Bush Adminstrtaion, in any effort it will increase Bushes support on the "war on terriorism" so what will this bring for us???

[nabraxas]

well, my family & friends are ok.

the people ov london have long expected this, & suffered it repeatedly in the past.

it's good the target wasn't more bloody.

tolerance can be a fragile thing, & there's a massive muslim community in london.

[caludia]

i wouldnt worry too much about this. It was just a "power surge" (including a power surge on a bus)

[bloodbob]

Torsten:

bloodbob - do you speak/read arabic? (if that's what it is on that site....)

Unfortunatly no I know its the site since wikipidea has a screenshot of the forum post ( the 200 word statement) and it has the exact same forum theme and that site has been the source of beheading videos and other terror attack claims. Unfortunatly the admins locked down the site on 25 of may so you can't register and can't freely view it.

[ 09. July 2005, 03:10: Message edited by: bloodbob ]

[Torsten]

conspiracy theories flying thick and fast already...

why did the govvy state it as a 'power surge'? especially since one explosion was on a bus.

Why did several news sites report that Israel had prior warning of the attacks? Why did the bombs go off in an area where Benyamin Netanyahu was supposed to travel to a meeting at the time of the explosions? And why WASN'T he travelling to that meeting, but instead resting in his hotel room after being told by Israeli security to not leave the hotel?

(btw, for those who don't know Netanyahu, he used to be PM of Israel and is now finance minister. He is also one of the most likely people to rise to power again if Sharon looses grip on power).

If this was just a terrorist attack, then why all the lies, all the covering up, all the questionable pre-warnings, etc etc. If it was just a few mad men doing their thing, why can't it be straight forward and simple?

[-YT-]

"conspiracy theories flying thick and fast already..." - Torsten

I know LOL Thats the first thing that popped into my mind...

How about all this godam footage and interviews of obviously bloodied and shocked ppl i mean come on talk about a sympothy vote by the media WTF!!!! What about the thousands upon thousands dieing everyday In Iraq etc. but yet they only get a 5min news story with footage of either US soldiers, Or explosions. What about the thousands upon thousands of hungry Africans??? Liveaid, G8 SUMMIT - i bet all these things will be quickly and quietly forgotten, with the "Attack on the freedom", and we will again be distracted and looking to point the finger, more laws and bills will be passed, which will Definatly affect how we live. 9/11 - Patriot Act...

Again feel free to flame me i have very outspoken views, and the last few days have been hell for me...

[trixxy3]

Torsten:

why did the govvy state it as a 'power surge'? especially since one explosion was on a bus.

The bus explosion occured after the initial train bombing(s?) and reactions were that it could have been a power surge, maybe they could feel similar, never experienced any of them personally so I have no idea. And maybe to also stop a spread of mass panic by initially talking down the severity of what had happened.

I also heard that Israel had warned of attacks that same morning.

What I don't get is the timing of it, it is in no way going to detract from the g8 summit thats going on, because there has been too much fuss over that previously with live 8 and other world involved build ups, and far too many nations involved with that for it to be let to be a distraction and for the nations involved to escape the need for African aid as a result of it.

[occidentalis]

apothecary:

Though that name sounds stupid, "The Jihad Base"...

Just so everyone gets this - 'Al Qaeda' means "the base". Al qaeda was a training camp in afghanistan and anyone who trained there (at 'the base') is known as 'al qaeda'.

The media continually represents Al Qaeda as some sort of global network of sleeper cells ready at any moment to bomb our buildings, rape our children, and force us to pray to their dark god several times a day. In all likelihood al qaeda is something in between a bunch of people who hate USian globalisation and happened to hang out at the same place, and a semi-organised 'terrorist' group who arranged around loose plans and ideologies. I don't want to underestimate them but I also don't want to underestimate the power of our media in creating a 'them' where one may not exist.